Picture/gesture password protection

ABSTRACT

A method is provided for identifying a strength of an input picture password formed by performing a sequence of gestures relative to a picture. The method includes storing, in a memory device, a crowdsource history of picture passwords each of which include a picture and a sequence of gestures on the picture. The method further includes generating, by a processor-based demography-based pattern usage assessment generator, a demography-based pattern usage assessment by analyzing the crowd source history. The method also includes providing, by a user-perceptible indication device, an indication of the strength of the input picture password in accordance with the demography-based pattern usage assessment.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to security and, in particular,to picture/gesture password protection.

Description of the Related Art

Picture password, also referred to herein as picture/gesture password,is a process by which users can sign in to their device using a pictureand performing touch gestures on the picture (via, e.g., a touchscreenor mouse). Picture password is becoming more popular as a login processdue to the prevalence of mobile devices and touch screens. The companiesusing these picture password technologies claim that gestures are fasterand simpler to remember than long alphanumeric passwords. However, theseactions/gestures have some vulnerabilities.

People tend to use similar patterns while doing gestures during thisprocess (left to right movements with lines or top/right/bottom/left/topmovements with circles as examples). Hackers/attackers can “look overthe shoulder” (by proximity, with cameras, and so forth) to copy picturepassword patterns easily. Pictures could be too simple (not enoughcontrast) such that picture passwords may not be suitable for a secureprocess. For example, some photos do not have many points of interestsand will cause the user to only have few options for touch patterns.

Thus, there is a need for improved picture/gesture password protection.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the present principles, a system is providedfor identifying a strength of an input picture password formed byperforming a sequence of gestures relative to a picture. The systemincludes a memory device for storing a crowdsource history of picturepasswords formed by tracking a plurality of picture passwords used toauthenticate a plurality of users. Each of the plurality of users has arespective user profile. The system further includes a processor-baseddemography-based pattern usage assessment generator for generating ademography-based pattern usage assessment by analyzing the crowd sourcehistory and the user profile of the plurality of users. The system alsoincludes a user-perceptible indication device for providing anindication of the strength of the input picture password in accordancewith the demography-based pattern usage assessment.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The disclosure will provide details in the following description ofpreferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary processing system 100 to which the presentprinciples may be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent principles;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary system 200 for picture/gesture passwordprotection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

FIGS. 3-4 show an exemplary method 300 for picture/gesture passwordprotection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary gesture 500 to which the present principlescan be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentprinciples;

FIG. 6 shows another exemplary gesture 600 to which the presentprinciples can be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent principles;

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary cloud computing node 710, in accordance withan embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary cloud computing environment 850, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present principles; and

FIG. 9 shows exemplary abstraction model layers, in accordance with anembodiment of the present principles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present principles are directed to picture/gesture passwordprotection. It is to be appreciated that the phrases “picture/gesturepassword” and “picture password” are interchangeably used herein torefer to the process of providing a password formed from gestures maderelative to a picture. For example, given a picture of 5 people, thegestures can be tapping the head of each person in a particular order.Of course, the preceding gestures are merely illustrative and, thus,other gestures can also be used relative to the picture in order toprovide a picture password.

In an embodiment, the present principles determine patterns that areeasy to hack during the picture password process. The program createsand uses dynamic rules according to certain parameters and can inform auser that their picture/gesture password is weak or too easy to hack andis therefore rejected. These and other types of alerts and/or actions beperformed responsive to determining the strength of a given picturepassword.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary processing system 100 to which the presentprinciples may be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent principles. The processing system 100 includes at least oneprocessor (CPU) 104 operatively coupled to other components via a systembus 102. A cache 106, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 108, a Random AccessMemory (RAM) 110, an input/output (I/O) adapter 120, a sound adapter130, a network adapter 140, a user interface adapter 150, and a displayadapter 160, are operatively coupled to the system bus 102.

A first storage device 122 and a second storage device 124 areoperatively coupled to system bus 102 by the I/O adapter 120. Thestorage devices 122 and 124 can be any of a disk storage device (e.g., amagnetic or optical disk storage device), a solid state magnetic device,and so forth. The storage devices 122 and 124 can be the same type ofstorage device or different types of storage devices.

A speaker 132 is operatively coupled to system bus 102 by the soundadapter 130. A transceiver 142 is operatively coupled to system bus 102by network adapter 140. A display device 162 is operatively coupled tosystem bus 102 by display adapter 160.

A first user input device 152, a second user input device 154, and athird user input device 156 are operatively coupled to system bus 102 byuser interface adapter 150. The user input devices 152, 154, and 156 canbe any of a keyboard, a mouse, a keypad, an image capture device, amotion sensing device, a microphone, a device incorporating thefunctionality of at least two of the preceding devices, and so forth. Ofcourse, other types of input devices can also be used, while maintainingthe spirit of the present principles. The user input devices 152, 154,and 156 can be the same type of user input device or different types ofuser input devices. The user input devices 152, 154, and 156 are used toinput and output information to and from system 100.

Of course, the processing system 100 may also include other elements(not shown), as readily contemplated by one of skill in the art, as wellas omit certain elements. For example, various other input devicesand/or output devices can be included in processing system 100,depending upon the particular implementation of the same, as readilyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, varioustypes of wireless and/or wired input and/or output devices can be used.Moreover, additional processors, controllers, memories, and so forth, invarious configurations can also be utilized as readily appreciated byone of ordinary skill in the art. These and other variations of theprocessing system 100 are readily contemplated by one of ordinary skillin the art given the teachings of the present principles providedherein.

Moreover, it is to be appreciated that system 200 described below withrespect to FIG. 2 is a system for implementing respective embodiments ofthe present principles. Part or all of processing system 100 may beimplemented in one or more of the elements of system 200.

Further, it is to be appreciated that processing system 100 may performat least part of the method described herein including, for example, atleast part of method 300 of FIGS. 3-4. Similarly, part or all of system200 may be used to perform at least part of method 300 of FIGS. 3-4.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary system 200 for picture/gesture passwordprotection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles.

The system 200 includes a crowdsource history manager 210, a memorydevice 220, a demography-based pattern usage generator 230, a rulegenerator 240, a picture password strength evaluator 250, auser-perceptible picture password strength indication generator 260, apicture password manager 270, and a picture password based userauthenticator 280.

The crowdsource history manager 210 forms a crowdsource history bytracking a set of picture passwords used to authenticate a set of users.Each of the users in the set has a respective user profile.

The memory device 220 stores the crowdsource history and other datagenerated and/or collected by method 300.

The demography-based pattern usage assessment generator 230 generates ademography-based pattern usage assessment by analyzing the crowd sourcehistory and the user profile of the users in the set.

The rule generator 240 can generate a set of rules for judging passwordstrength based on the crowdsource history and/or the demography-basedpattern usage assessment and/or user inputs to applications that involveusers making one or more gestures.

The picture password strength evaluator 250 evaluates (identifies) thestrength of an input picture password. In an embodiment, the strength ofan input picture password is evaluated based on the rules and/orelements from which the rules can be formed, including the crowdsourcehistory and/or the demography-based pattern usage assessment and/or theuser profiles. In an embodiment, the picture password strength evaluator250 can evaluate the input picture password using a two-dimensional gridand/or a three-dimensional grid.

The user-perceptible picture password strength indication generator 260provides a user-perceptible indication of the strength (e.g., weak,medium, and strong) of the input picture password in accordance with thedemography-based pattern usage assessment. The user-perceptible picturepassword strength indication generator 260 can initiate and/or otherwisecause such an indication to be provided to a user. For example, theuser-perceptible picture password strength indication generator 260 cancause the indication to be provided on another device (e.g., a mobile orother device or the user). The indication can include a visually oraudibly perceptible measure of the strength. Visually perceptiblemeasures that can be used include text characters, symbols, colors,and/or so forth. Audibly perceptible measures that can be used includeaudibly reproducing the text characters, symbols, colors, and/or soforth.

The picture password manager 270 can accept the input picture passwordfor actual use by the user, responsive to the strength of the picturepassword being equal to or above a predetermined threshold. The picturepassword manager 270 can prevent usage of the input picture passwordand/or require the user to provide a new picture password that includesat least one different gesture, responsive to the strength of thepicture password being indicated as below the predetermined threshold.

The picture password based user authenticator 280 receives the inputpicture password in a non-registration use application of the inputpicture password, and authenticates the user based on the input picturepassword to provide the user physical access to a locked application orfacility responsive to the user being authenticated based on the inputpicture password.

In an embodiment, it is to be appreciated that one or more elements ofsystem 200 may be implemented in the cloud. For example, in anembodiment, the strength determination process is determined in thecloud and the strength indication is transmitted from the cloud to auser device.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the elements thereof areinterconnected by a bus(es)/network(s) 201. However, in otherembodiments, other types of connections can also be used. Moreover, inan embodiment, at least one of the elements of system 200 isprocessor-based. Further, while one or more elements may be shown asseparate elements, in other embodiments, these elements can be combinedas one element. The converse is also applicable, where while one or moreelements may be part of another element, in other embodiments, the oneor more elements may be implemented as standalone elements. These andother variations of the elements of system 200 are readily determined byone of ordinary skill in the art, given the teachings of the presentprinciples provided herein, while maintaining the spirit of the presentprinciples.

FIGS. 3-4 show an exemplary method 300 for picture/gesture passwordprotection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles.Method 300 identifies the strength of an input picture password formedby performing a sequence of gestures relative to a picture.

At step 305, form a crowdsource history of picture passwords. In anembodiment, the crowdsource history is formed by tracking a set ofpicture passwords used to authenticate a set of users. Each of the usersin the set has a respective user profile. In an embodiment, step 305begins a creation phase of method 300.

At step 310, store the crowdsource history in a memory device. In anembodiment, the crowdsource history is received remotely (e.g., from aremote cloud server), and storing per step 310 can be in a memory bufferor other storage device for processing in accordance with the presentprinciples.

At step 315, generate a demography-based pattern usage assessment byanalyzing the crowd source history and the user profile of the users inthe set. In an embodiment, the demography-based pattern usage assessmentis determined from a demography that includes at least one of a languagestyle (e.g., right to left versus left to right, and so forth), an agegroup, a country, an experience level, a gender, and a culture. Ofcourse, other demographics can also be used in accordance with theteachings of the present principles while maintaining the spirit of thepresent principles.

In an embodiment, the demography-based pattern usage assessment isdetermined from a pattern usage that includes an image main point ofinterest reference, a contour, a common pattern, a predictable pattern,a circular pattern, and a direction. Of course, other pattern usages canalso be used in accordance with the teachings of the present principleswhile maintaining the spirit of the present principles.

At step 320, generate a set of rules for judging password strength basedon the crowdsource history and/or the demography-based pattern usageassessment. In an embodiment, the set of rules are generated furtherbased on user inputs to applications that involve users making one ormore gestures.

At step 325, receive an input picture password for a strengthevaluation.

At step 330, provide an indication of the strength of the input picturepassword in accordance with the demography-based pattern usageassessment. In an embodiment, the strength of the input picture passwordis indicated using a measure selected from weak, medium, and strong. Ofcourse, other indicators (for example, including, but not limited to,other words, colors, symbols, and so forth) can also be used inaccordance with the teachings of the present principles whilemaintaining the spirit of the present principles.

In an embodiment, step 330 involves evaluating the input picturepassword using a two-dimensional grid and/or a three-dimensional grid.In an embodiment, step 350 involves evaluating the input picture withrespect to a set of commonly used patterns, wherein a pattern status ofcommonly used is determined based on the demography-based pattern usageassessment. In an embodiment, step 330 involves evaluating the inputpicture with respect to a set of too easily predicted patterns, whereina pattern status of too easily predicted is determined based on thedemography-based pattern usage assessment.

At step 335, determine whether the strength of the input picturepassword is equal to or above a predetermined threshold. If so, then themethod proceeds to step 340. Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 370.

At step 340, accept the input picture password for actual use by theuser (responsive to the strength of the picture password being indicatedas being equal to or above a predetermined threshold). In an embodiment,step 340 concludes a creation phase of method 300.

At step 345, receive the input picture password in a non-registrationuse application of the input picture password.

At step 350, authenticate the user based on the input picture passwordto provide the user physical access to a locked application or facilityresponsive to the user being authenticated based on the input picturepassword.

It is to be appreciated that steps 345 and 350 can be performed at anytime after, e.g., step 340, as they pertain to post-creation steps (thatis, after the input picture password has been created and authorized foractual use by a user).

At step 355, update the crowdsource history to obtain updatedcrowdsource history.

At step 360, update the demography-based pattern usage assessment basedthe updated crowdsource history.

At step 365, update the set of rules based the updated crowdsourcehistory and/or the demography-based pattern usage assessment.

It is to be appreciated that steps 355, 360, and 365 can be performed atany time after, e.g., step 340, as they pertain to post-creation steps(that is, after the input picture password has been created andauthorized for actual use by a user).

At step 370, prevent usage of the input picture password and/or requirethe user to provide a new picture password that includes at least onedifferent gesture (responsive to the strength of the picture passwordbeing indicated as below the predetermined threshold). In theembodiment, step 355 involves returning to step 325 to input the newpicture password.

It is to be appreciated that the present principles work with picturepassword technology (and any other gesture passwords) to help a useridentify the strength (e.g., strong or weak) of a picture password. Inan embodiment, during the creation of a picture password, the presentprinciples use grid technology to match the user's pattern to a pre-setgroup of gestures and rules that are considered weak, medium or strong(red, yellow or green). The process can be incorporated with picturepassword technology to give feedback to the user while creating theirpasswords. The use of grid technology can involve, but is not limitedto, using a two-dimensional and/or a three-dimensional grid to evaluatecorresponding gestures for a picture password against a set of picturesdepicting various gestures (e.g., common gesture patterns, easilypredicted gesture patterns, rare gesture patterns, difficult to predictgesture patterns, and so forth), using feature identification (e.g.,points of interest), distance measures and so forth. Of course, othertechniques can also be used in accordance with the teachings of thepresent principles, while maintaining the spirit of the presentprinciples.

In an embodiment, the present principles identify weaknesses with thepicture password technology by using a pre-set group of rules andgestures that could be determined by the user's profile and background.The user's profile and background can include and/or otherwise involve,but is not limited to, any of country, language, cultural profile,gender, and so forth. One reason for using the user's profile ordemographics is because the rules could be developed from common gesturepatterns on these groups. For example, a gesture line made from left toright might be weak for U.S. people (since people in the U.S. typicallywrite from left to right) but that may not be always the case for peoplein Japan or Israel (since they do not always write from left to right).While left to right lines may be weak in this country, they may not beweak in Japan. If we do crowd-sourcing, we could also includedemographics and profiles where we may find common gesture patternsacross specific groups. For example, females may be more prone tocertain gesture aspects on family pictures versus males (oryoung/teenagers versus seasoned people, and so forth). In an embodiment,the set of rules are dynamic and can learn from people and change overtime accordingly.

In an embodiment, the present principles can also learn from thecompilation of old picture passwords used by comparing common gesturepatterns and perhaps even using them in relation to the type of figureused within the picture. The present principles can also dynamicallylearn from crowd-sourced information and touch-screen apps. As touchscreen applications (i.e., smartphone applications) keep on growing andchanging, the present principles can learn from the most used (mostcommon) gestures in order to make suggestions to the system. One exampleis a smartphone unlock touch screen, which most typically uses a“left-to-right” swipe or line in order to unlock the screen.

In an embodiment, a user is authenticated for access to an item orfacility (which can involve unlocking a secured device or door to permitthe user access) by matching the gestures to the library drawing setassociated with a specific user. A matrix of drawing sets havingcommonly used patterns is employed to provide system feedback to a userabout the weakness of their gesture pattern (e.g., using indicators suchas, but not limited to, words that include weak, normal, and strong, orcolors that include red, yellow, green, and so forth).

In an embodiment, a special algorithm involving two or three dimensionscan be used to evaluate the strength of picture/gesture passwords,whereby starting and ending points of a gesture are recorded to see theactual pattern within the reference of a particular picture or screen.

A description will now be given of an exemplary set of rules forpicture/gesture password protection, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present principles.

In the embodiment, the present principles employ gestures including, butnot limited to, circles, taps and/or lines. Of course, other gesturescan also be used in accordance with the teachings of the presentprinciples, while maintaining the spirit of the present principles.

In the embodiment, the set of rules can include, but are not limited to,any of the following: (1) gestures that follow the contours of the imageare weak gestures (too predictable); (2) dots over eyes are weakgestures (since, according to some studies, these gestures are some ofthe most used gestures); (3) left to right lines could be a weak gesture(people tend to draw lines in the same manner in which they write); (4)circles made from top-right-bottom-left-top are weak gestures; and (5)circles over people's heads are weak gestures (too predictable). It isto be appreciated that the preceding types of gestures are merelyexemplary and, thus, the present principles can be readily used withother types of gestures, while maintaining the spirit of the presentprinciples.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary gesture 500 to which the present principlescan be applied, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentprinciples. FIG. 6 shows another exemplary gesture 600 to which thepresent principles can be applied, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present principles.

Gestures 500 and 600 are compared against the user's gestures, forexample, using an x/y axis grid (510 in FIG. 5, 610 in FIG. 6) andcomparing gestures 500 and 600 to a set of gestures in a library ofdrawings. Gesture 500 starts at starting point 501 and ends at endingpoint 502. Gesture 600 starts at starting point 601 and ends at endingpoint 602.

A description will now be given of an extension to the presentprinciples, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles.

In the embodiment, the present principles are used with respect to 3Dgesture passwords or 3D gesture interactions and any other gesturepassword/technology. In the case of 3D, we will use a three-dimensionalgrid (e.g., x, y, and z) to apply the same concept and identify whichgestures may be weaker than others for the purpose of security.

Image processing can be used to verify that the resolution and fulldisplay of the picture does not get affected by the variety of devicesthat can be used by a user. In this way, the present principles cannotify the user that the picture is not being properly displayed for theuse of picture password. In addition, the user can be notified if thephoto used does not include enough contrast (points of interests) tocreate a good variety of gesture points.

These and various other extensions that can be applied to the presentprinciples are readily contemplated by one of ordinary skill in the artgiven the teachings of the present principles provided herein, whilemaintaining the spirit of the present principles.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode 710 is shown. Cloud computing node 710 is only one example of asuitable cloud computing node and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of theinvention described herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 710 iscapable of being implemented and/or performing any of the functionalityset forth hereinabove.

In cloud computing node 710 there is a computer system/server 712, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 712 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 712 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 712 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 7, computer system/server 712 in cloud computing node710 is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 712 may include, but are notlimited to, one or more processors or processing units 716, a systemmemory 728, and a bus 718 that couples various system componentsincluding system memory 728 to processor 716.

Bus 718 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 712 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 712, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 728 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 730 and/or cachememory 732. Computer system/server 712 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 734 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 718 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 728 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 740, having a set (at least one) of program modules 742,may be stored in memory 728 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 742 generally carry out the functionsand/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention as describedherein.

Computer system/server 712 may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices 714 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display724, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact withcomputer system/server 712; and/or any devices (e.g., network card,modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 712 to communicate withone or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur viaInput/Output (I/O) interfaces 722. Still yet, computer system/server 712can communicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 720. As depicted, network adapter 720communicates with the other components of computer system/server 712 viabus 718. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 712. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrative cloud computing environment 850 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 850 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 810 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 854A, desktop computer 854B, laptop computer854C, and/or automobile computer system 854N may communicate. Nodes 810may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown)physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private,Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or acombination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 850 tooffer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which acloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 854A-Nshown in FIG. 8 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 810 and cloud computing environment 850 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 9, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 850 (FIG. 8) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 9 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 960 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries® systems; IBMxSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere®application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer 962 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 964 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 966 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and picture/gesture password protection.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” ofthe present principles, as well as other variations thereof, means thata particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the present principles. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment”, as well any other variations,appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following “/”,“and/or”, and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A/B”, “Aand/or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A andB). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and/or C” and “at leastone of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listedoption (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listedoptions (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listedoptions (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listedoptions (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and Band C). This may be extended, as readily apparent by one of ordinaryskill in this and related arts, for as many items listed.

Having described preferred embodiments of a system and method (which areintended to be illustrative and not limiting), it is noted thatmodifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the artin light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood thatchanges may be made in the particular embodiments disclosed which arewithin the scope of the invention as outlined by the appended claims.Having thus described aspects of the invention, with the details andparticularity required by the patent laws, what is claimed and desiredprotected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for identifying a strength of an inputpicture password formed by performing a sequence of gestures relative toa picture, the method comprising: storing, in a memory device, acrowdsource history of picture passwords, each of the picture passwordsincluding a picture and a sequence of gestures on the picture;generating, by a processor-based demography-based pattern usageassessment generator, a demography-based pattern usage assessment byanalyzing the crowd source history including comparing each gesture ofeach sequence of gestures to commonly used patterns to determine astrength of each gesture; and providing an indication of the strength ofthe input picture password based on the strength of each gesture withinthe input picture password.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingpreventing usage of the input picture password, responsive to thestrength of the picture password being indicated as below apredetermined threshold.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprisingaccepting the picture password for actual use by the user responsive tothe strength of the picture password being indicated as being equal toor above a predetermined threshold, and providing a user physical accessto a locked application or facility responsive to the user providing theaccepted picture password.
 4. The method of claim 2, further comprisingrequiring a user to provide a new picture password that includes atleast one different gesture, responsive to the strength of the picturepassword being indicated as below the predetermined threshold.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the strength of the input picture password isindicated using a measure selected from weak, medium, and strong.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the demography-based pattern usage assessmentis determined from a demography that includes at least one of a languagestyle, an age group, a country, an experience level, a gender, and aculture.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the demography-based patternusage assessment is determined from a pattern usage that includes animage main point of interest reference, a contour, a common pattern, apredictable pattern, a circular pattern, and a direction.
 8. The methodof claim 1, further comprising updating the demography-based patternusage assessment based on changes to the crowdsource history.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising generating a set of rules forjudging password strength based on at least one of the crowdsourcehistory and the demography-based pattern usage assessment.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising: updating the crowdsource historyto obtain updated crowdsource history, and updating the set of rulesbased at least one of the updated crowdsource history and thedemography-based pattern usage assessment.
 11. The method of claim 9,wherein the set of rules are generated further based on user inputs toapplications that involve users making one or more gestures.
 12. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said providing step comprises evaluating theinput picture password using at least one of a two-dimensional grid anda three-dimensional grid.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the inputpicture is evaluated with respect to a set of commonly used patterns,wherein a pattern status of commonly used is determined based on thedemography-based pattern usage assessment.
 14. The method of claim 1,wherein the input picture is evaluated with respect to a set of tooeasily predicted patterns, wherein a pattern status of too easilypredicted is determined based on the demography-based pattern usageassessment.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the crowdsource historyof picture passwords is formed by tracking a plurality of picturepasswords used to authenticate a plurality of users.
 16. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each user of the plurality of users has a respectiveuser profile comprising a country, language, cultural profile, gender,or any combination thereof.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein theindication of the strength of the input picture password is provided bya user perceptible indication device in accordance with the demographybased pattern usage assessment.
 18. A method for identifying a strengthof an input picture password formed by performing a sequence of gesturesrelative to a picture, the method comprising: storing, in a memorydevice, a crowdsource history of picture passwords, each of the picturepasswords including a picture and a sequence of gestures on the picture;and generating, by a processor-based demography-based pattern usageassessment generator, a demography-based pattern usage assessment byanalyzing the crowd source history including comparing each gesture ofeach sequence of gestures to commonly used patterns to determine astrength of each gesture to provide an indication of the strength of theinput picture password based on the assessment.